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Six things about SA you need to know

Treasury allows Eskom to buy emergency coal

National Treasury on Thursday gave Eskom permission to deviate from standard procurement processes in order to deal with the immediate coal supply problems. In a reply to questions, Treasury said: “In April 2018, Eskom approached the Chief Procurement Office to ask for permission to source coal from other coal suppliers. Eskom was then granted approval to deviate from competitive bidding in April 2018.” This comes after Eskom executives told parliamentarians on Thursday that they needed urgent authorisation from National Treasury to buy more coal without having to go to tender‚ as seven power stations have coal stockpiles that were lower than the levels required. Energy activist Ted Blom warned that Eskom has less than 10 days to implement drastic corrective measures or South Africa would face a blackout similar to that of 2008.

Duduzane Zuma to be prosecuted

Former president Jacob Zuma’s son‚ Duduzane‚ will face prosecution relating to a road accident that led to the death of Phumzile Dube. National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said on Thursday National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams had “reviewed the decision not to prosecute [Zuma] and decided that prosecution must ensue”. Zuma was told in early February that he had until the end of March to state why he shouldn’t face charges. But he “failed to submit any representation”. The case relates to a car accident on the M1 highway in Johannesburg in 2014 in which Duduzane’s Porsche collided with a minibus taxi‚ resulting in Dube’s death.

Ramaphosa's son takes a swipe at Duduzane

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s son Tumelo has caused a social media flurry by calling former president Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane a “fool” and “fucking monkey” in a bragging post on Instagram. On Wednesday‚ Ramaphosa’s spokeswoman, Khusela Diko, said Tumelo was a “grown man” who had to answer for his actions. “The president‚ however‚ finds such behaviour extremely unfortunate and distasteful and not in keeping with the values he espouses or the manner in which he would expect anyone to conduct themselves,” she said. Tumelo‚ in a brief video posted on his account this week‚ which was later deleted‚ took a dig at the son of his father’s predecessor after arriving at a Dubai hotel. He said he was “here to work” and said Dubai was known for “State Capture”.

Teens arrested for robbing their school

Eight KwaMashu teenagers have found themselves on the wrong side of the law – arrested four months after the theft of four laptops and 25 tablets from their own school. They were arrested on Wednesday after a police raid‚ according to spokeswoman Captain Nqobile Gwala. She said the eight had been linked to the burglary at Zeph Dlomo High School in Durban on December 17. Seven of them were released into the custody of their parents and warned to appear in court next week. The eighth remains in custody and will appear in court on Friday‚ Gwala added.

Arthur Fraser's bid to 'block' spy probe flops

An investigation into former spy boss Arthur Fraser by the country’s intelligence watchdog is going ahead thanks to intervention by the state security minister. The inspector-general of intelligence‚ Setlhomamaru Dintwe‚ said his investigation into the activities of the former spy boss were being frustrated by Fraser, who had stripped him of security clearance‚ and threatened and intimidated him. The two were expected to face off in the High Court in Pretoria on Thursday where Dintwe sought an interdict to prevent Fraser from interfering with the probe. But the case did no go ahead. Dintwe said the minister had set aside the withdrawal of his security clearance, and had given an undertaking that the investigation into allegations of wrongdoing by Fraser would not be meddled with. Fraser was transferred to the position of national commissioner of correctional services on Tuesday.

Karabo 'stabbed herself in the neck'

An autopsy might have failed to determine how 22-year-old Karabo Mokoena died, but evidence submitted in the High Court in Johannesburg on Thursday suggested that she may have died from a stab wound to the neck. Constable Mokgaetji Mahwete‚ who responded to the scene where Mokoena’s charred remains were discovered in a Lyndhurst ditch‚ claimed she had spoken to murder accused Sandile Mantsoe following his arrest, and that Mantsoe had said Mokoena killed herself to sever a blood ritual that the two of them had entered into in order to boost his forex business. Mantsoe‚ a 28-year-old forex trader, is on trial for the murder of his on-and-off girlfriend‚ Mokoena. He has denied killing her but admitted to disposing of her body. The trial continues.

SNAPSHOT

We would be upset too
A child uses a hand pump to extract water on the banks of the river Yamuna in New Delhi, India.
Image:
Reuters/Saumya Khandelwal

SIX THINGS ABOUT THE WORLD YOU NEED TO KNOW

Steal the rod, spoil the house

Nigerian police said on Thursday they had recovered the ceremonial mace - the parliamentary symbol of authority - under a flyover after it was stolen from the senate. It was snatched on Wednesday by “hoodlums” suspected to have been hired by an embattled senator who had been suspended from the upper house because of a dispute over the date of next year’s presidential election. Parliament cannot convene without the 1m-long metal rod traditionally carried by the speaker upon entering and leaving the chamber. - AFP

Ban means the last straw for Brits

Britain announced plans on Thursday to ban the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in England, as part of a push to tackle global marine pollution. Prime Minister Theresa May said her government will launch a consultation on banning the single-use items later this year, ahead of legislation on the matter. The move follows the 2015 introduction of a small charge for carrier bags in most shops, a ban on plastic microbeads and last month’s announcement of plans for consumers to pay a deposit on plastic bottles. A recent study found 8.5-billion plastic straws are thrown away in Britain every year, according to the government. - AFP

Net closes on Mafia godfather

Italian police arrested some of Cosa Nostra kingpin Matteo Messina Denaro’s closest aides on Thursday, uncovering a secret network of messages that allowed the fugitive boss to give orders. Police said they made 22 arrests in towns near the Sicilian city of Trapani. News agency AGI quotes wiretapped recordings of one of those arrested praising the 1996 murder and dissolving in acid of Giuseppe Di Matteo, the 14-year-old son of a mafia turncoat. Denaro, who has been on the run since 1993 and is considered the most powerful force in the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, once reportedly boasted he could “fill a cemetery” with his victims. - AFP

Wear a swastika and get in for free

German prosecutors have cleared a performance of a satirical play named after Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf” that promises free entry to spectators who wear a swastika. The theatre in Constance, Baden-Wuerttemberg state, says it aims to show how easily people can be corrupted, but it sparked numerous legal complaints. Prosecutors said the premiere could go ahead on Friday, which marks Hitler’s birthday in 1889. The theatre says ticket holders will be asked to wear a Star of David “as a sign of solidarity with the victims of Nazi barbarism”. In Germany, publicly displaying swastikas and other Nazi symbols is illegal, unless it is part of an artistic performance covered by constitutional guarantees of free speech. - AFP

No sex in a roundabout way, pupils warned

Norway’s high school graduates should refrain from running naked across bridges and having sex on roundabouts lest they give drivers “too much of a surprise“, the national transport regulator said on Wednesday. Norway’s annual post-graduation period called “Russ” lasts weeks, involves partying and drinking heavily, and tends to challenge public morals every spring. - Reuters

Market is mad about German Marx

The German city of Trier is struggling to keep up with demand for 0-euro notes, bearing the face of its most famous son and communism’s creator Karl Marx, and sold for €3 each as part of celebrations for his 200th birthday. Marx’s best known and most influential works are the Communist Manifesto, co-written with Friedrich Engels, and Das Kapital. “The souvenir plays on Marx’s criticism of capitalism and of course the 0-euro note fits perfectly with Marx as a motif,” said Norbert Kaethler, managing director of Triers’ tourism office. Trier’s tourism office said it had already sold 5,000 of the notes and was printing 20,000 more. - Reuters